Bryan Schwartzman

Sunday, Sept. 11, marks the fourth anniversary of the deadliest attack on American soil, a day that claimed nearly 3,000 lives, changed a cityscape forever, and set in motion a series of events - including the U.S.-led invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq - that still grip the nation. It also happens to be the first Sunday after Labor Day, and...

For the second time in its 58-year history, Post 575 of the Jewish War Veterans of the United States of America has honored a former soldier by latching his name to the group. When it formed back in 1947, the post was named after Lt. Milton Kelkey, a Philadelphian who was killed in battle during World War II. In April,...

Sarah Martinez-Helfman's office in the Novacare Complex overlooks the expanse of green field where the Philadelphia Eagles are preparing for the upcoming season. Her room is also cluttered with autographed team memorabilia. Nonetheless, she doesn't want to talk football. During a conversation about her position as executive director of the Eagles Youth Partnership and its work with underprivileged kids, the...

Clad in an olive-green prison uniform and noticeably thinner than the last time she appeared before Judge Anita Brody, 74-year-old Betty Shusterman needed the help of a walker to inch her way across the federal courtroom she'd navigated so many times before. Eventually, she sat at the same defendant's table that she occupied during her four-week trial nearly two years...

Anita Block cannot wait for Sept. 8 to arrive. The new principal of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman Jewish Day School's Forman Center has set an important task for herself - learning the names of all 175 students - and she's anxious to get started. "There is usually something outstanding about a child's personality, the way they approach things and...

Profile

Bryan Schwartzman has been reporting on the Jewish community of Philadelphia since 2003. After 10 years as a staff writer, he now occasionally freelances for the Exponent. He writes about trends in politics, religion and spirituality, philanthropy and sometimes dabbles in sports and the arts.

He has received numerous awards from the Pennsylvania Society of Professional Journalists, the Jewish American Press Association and other organizations.

A native New Yorker, he earned a master’s degree in modern Jewish history and literature from the Jewish Theological Seminary. He is also a graduate of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.